{"id":3749,"date":"2016-12-01T08:27:38","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T13:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=3749"},"modified":"2025-04-18T10:29:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T14:29:56","slug":"flagsbefore-and-after-pearl-harbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/flagsbefore-and-after-pearl-harbor\/","title":{"rendered":"Flags\u2026before and after Pearl Harbor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pearl<\/a>
Pearl Harbor under attack. (Library of Congress)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seventy-five years ago, on December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan\u2019s air force attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii<\/a>, triggering the entry of the United States into World War II. The early morning attack occurred on a Sunday, as most Americans, unaware of what was happening several time zones away, opened their morning newspapers, where they read articles about American flags<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Remembering<\/a>
Remembering Pearl Harbor in a poster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, The Battle Creek Enquirer in Michigan<\/a> re-told what happened during an Armistice Day<\/a> parade after World War I. A color-bearer \u201chastily handed the flag to a marching comrade,\u201d the article said. The man \u201cfeebly whispered, \u2018Take it!\u2019 and fell dead of a heart attack.\u201d The article commented, \u201cIsn\u2019t that what the past is constantly saying\u2026to the present with respect to the flag? \u2018Take it\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

The St. Louis Dispatch, in its December 7 edition, presented readers with a list of books with a \u201cpatriotic angle\u201d that they could give as Christmas gifts. \u201cRed-white-and-blue book bindings stand out like flags in the stacks of books for children this Christmas season,\u201d wrote the reviewer. Among her recommendations was \u201cBroad Stripes and Bright Stars,\u201d which \u201ctells how the 13 original colonies became the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>In Texas<\/a> on the fateful day, The Waxahachie Daily Light reported on the annual Santa Claus parade, which \u201cushered in the 1941 Yuletide season.\u201d Thousands of people turned out to watch a parade that extended four blocks. Every child at the event \u201cwas given an American flag,\u201d<\/a> the journal noted, along with a sack of candy.<\/p>\n

A poem titled \u201cOur Flag\u201d appeared in the December 7 issue of The Times Herald in Port Huron, Michigan. Readers who would soon learn about the Pacific attack read these lines: \u201cOur flag is still a-flying\/o\u2019er the land and o\u2019er the sea.\/Our soldiers are a-flying\/to save her from any enemy.\/Our Flag is still a-flying\/a pleasant sight to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A WWII poster promoting war bonds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day, December 8, journals across the U.S. were filled with articles about death, destruction, treachery \u2013 and star-spangled banners. The Springfield Republican in Massachusetts<\/a>, for example, printed an editorial titled \u201cUnited We Stand.\u201d In it, an unnamed author wrote about how \u201cthe American people at last are united. They will support to the limit of their strength their government in challenging Japan\u2019s unjustified aggression in the Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continuing his commentary, the writer referenced Old Glory when he said that \u201cthe utterly brazen and reckless attack on the American flag by Japanese bombers was typical of the militarist theory of the initiative in staging a surprise offensive.\u201d Such \u201can insult to the American\u201d flag would lead to a world war, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Backed<\/a>
Backed by a huge American flag, FDR delivers his Pearl Harbor speech to Congress on December 8, 1941.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That same day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, standing before a huge American flag<\/a>, addressed Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Japan<\/a> and its ally, Germany<\/a>. In reply, from coast to coast, Americans lifted their flags into the air as a promise of the victory to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seventy-five years ago, on December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan\u2019s air force attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, triggering the entry of the United States into World War II. The early morning attack occurred on a Sunday, as most Americans, unaware of what was happening several time zones away, opened their morning newspapers, where they read articles… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[86,320,112],"class_list":["post-3749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-franklin-d-roosevelt","tag-pearl-harbor","tag-world-war-ii"],"yoast_head":"\nFlags\u2026before and after Pearl Harbor - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/flagsbefore-and-after-pearl-harbor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flags\u2026before and after Pearl Harbor - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Seventy-five years ago, on December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan\u2019s air force attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, triggering the entry of the United States into World War II. 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